Political leaders in Beijing often take the attitude that Hong Kong can have real democracy only after hell freezes over. In the sweaty era of global warming, that prospect looks remote.

Rather than the guns favored by dictators, Hong Kong’s democracy fighters recently selected bananas as a favorite weapon. Angry words flew in the city’s Legislative Council, and so did some of the tasty yellow fruit.

When Hong Kong’s chief executive, the dapper Donald Tsang, appeared for an annual policy address, three legislators from the League of Social Democrats, fired back with bananas.

Outspoken Leung Kwok-hung leaped to his feet and confronted Tsang at close range. He pointed fingers, waved a banana and demanded to know if Tsang knew the price of such fruit. “If you don’t even know the price of this banana, what right do you have to speak about livelihood issues?” he yelled.

Later, Leung’s colleagues Albert Chan and Wong Yuk-man yelled and gave Tsang a piece of their minds too. Wong slapped at his desk, pointed to the chief executive and declared: “Donald Tsang, you have shamed yourself…. This policy address is empty. Donald Tsang is incompetent. The Hong Kong government is incompetent.” True enough!

Then Wong hurled a bunch of bananas in Tsang’s direction. The airborne fruit missed the little guy, but struck the Legco president’s dais.

Security guards ejected Leung, Wong and Chan from the Legco session, but their banana battle soon turned victorious. Within days, Tsang had surrendered on a key point and agreed to increase the old-age allowance for all senior citizens, not just for those showing poverty in a “means test”.

Less ingenious political figures complain that the fruit-tossers acted rudely and disrespected Tsang. But Wong promised to engage in even better protest actions. “People should get used to it and not be so conservative,” he said. The public looks forward to whatever comes next.

One of Tsang’s closest advisors grumbled: “Such actions not only break the rules of procedures of the Legislative Council, but also the rules of all legislative bodies in civilized and developed societies. It won’t help the atmosphere, the work of Legco, social harmony or Hong Kong’s international image.”

Actually, the greatest damage to Hong Kong’s international image comes from its lack of democracy. Social harmony suffers from the arrogant leaders and their “do-as-we-say” attitude. The city’s worst “atmosphere” is the polluted air its people must breathe.

Beijing and its local collaborators allowed only 800 selected people to vote in the 2007 “election” returning Tsang to power. By governing without a popular mandate, the chief executive disrespects the people, who owe him only scorn in return.

Cairns Media Magazine applauds the League of Social Democrats and advises Hong Kong people to assert their political rights by waving bananas at Tsang wherever he goes. Unlike government policies, the bananas make tasty snacks too.

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